Eviction underway at Grangegorman [Dublin] where a formerly derelict space is a home for 27 people

Workers Solidarity Movement adds:

The people living here mostly have low paid insecure jobs. They don’t have friends in high places. Contrast what you see in the video (above) and hear with the very different treatment of the ‘bog standard house’ at Gorse Hill. And what you will see was recorded with the Garda and security knowing they were being recorded, imagine their behaviour if the cameras were not there.

Susan Ryan, aged 41, was due to be evicted “by appointment” from her apartment at Longboat Quay North in Dublin 2 on Monday, October 21, 2013.

Ms Ryan had fallen into mortgage arrears with her lender understood to be Ulster Bank.

Gareth Naughton, in The Herald, reports:

Mr Gray [Dublin City Sheriff’s Office court messenger Paul Gray] knocked on the door a number of times and called out Ms Ryan’s name but there was no response.

Using a key provided by the bank official, they entered the apartment.

Gda [Bronagh] McArdle [present to ‘ensure there were no public order issues’] said that on entering the bedroom she found Ms Ryan “visibly pale in colour and was cold to touch” with no pulse detectable.

“There was a substantial amount of empty medication trays piled up at the bedside,” she told the court.

The dead woman had spent the weekend in Wexford visiting her mother along with her sister Barbara Ryan, who told the court that everything had been “normal” with nothing out of the ordinary happening.

…Coroner Dr [Brian] Farrell said that, from pictures of the apartment, [Ms Ryan] appeared to have been living on “convenience foods”.

“Evicted pensioner Violet Coyne (top) spoke to Niall Boylan on Classic Hits 4FM today. She spoke live from The High Court. She was in a dressing gown, while her husband wore slippers and a borrowed jumper.”

Martin and Violet Coyne, aged 73 and 61 respectively, who have been evicted from their rented home in Carpenterstown, Dublin this morning.

The Irish Times reports:

ACC Bank is seeking repossession of the home because the landlord Daragh Ward went into receivership in 2012 and they want to sell the house to reduce his debt.
….
In July, Ms Justice Linnane said an order for vacation of the property had been first made in September 2013. She had made her own order on March 27th and Mr Coyne had given a sworn undertaking to vacate the property when he came before the court on June 25th. She said the High Court had also refused a stay on her order as there was no legal grounds for it.

Mr Coyne told the court that he had made the sworn statement in “good faith”, but he had been unable to find alternative accommodation through Fingal County Council.
He said he and his wife had not been “sitting on our arses” doing nothing since the sworn statement had been made, but they lacked the money to seek alternative accommodation.

“In 1736 Captain Vernon, then sheriff of the County of Dublin, being directed to give possession of the castle of Bremore to Mr Tummon, was opposed by Captain MacCulloch and his dependants.Fifty shots were exchanged, but without slaughter, at last the ammunition of the castle being spent, the beseigers drew near, made a breach and took the garrison prisoners; but McCulloch, his wife and one O’Neill having retire to a garden-house necessitated another attack until they also were captured, and with the rest brought prisoners of war to Kilmainham Gaol.”

Charlie Allen (yellow waistcoat) of the Rodolphus Trust leading about 250 people to retake the Kennycourt Stud Farm in County Kildare from receivers acting for IBRC (formely Anglo Irish Bank). The group cut through chained fences and removed the security men and their cars from the farm…

A copy and paste ‘cease and desist’ mandate to TDs compiled by the Anti-Eviction Taskforce for homeowners facing repossession.

Dear Sir / Madam,I am writing to you on behalf of the currently distressed mortgage holders in Ireland:

As of March 2012, 77,630, or 10.2 % of Mortgage holders, were in arrears of more than 90 days. This compares with 70,945 accounts (9.2 % of total) that were in arrears of more than 90 days at end-December 2011.

The number of accounts that were in arrears of more than 180 days was 59,437 at end-March 2012, equivalent to 7.8 per cent of the total. At end-December 2011, the number of accounts in arrears of more than 180 days was 53,120, or 6.9 per cent of the total.

Therefore, 116,288 accounts were either in arrears of over 90 days or had been restructured and were performing as at the end of March.

In arrears 90-180 day: 87,293, over 180 days 1,209,459. Total = 1,296,752

Residential properties in possession – at end of quarter.

As you can see from the above statistics, distressed mortgage holders make up a large proportion of the Irish Electorate and these numbers are growing monthly. The issue of distressed mortgages in Ireland has been allowed to fester and grow since the downturn with both the Financial Sector and the Government of the day determinedly avoiding to take responsibility for the situation or to focus on developing equitable resolution to the issue (as is their duty).

Article 45 IV: That in what pertains to the control of credit the constant and predominant aim shall be the welfare of the people as a whole.

We have seen household debt increase from 68.9% of personal disposable income in 2000 to over 150% in 2007, and this % continues to rise as debt remains stagnant while income reduces or in many cases disappears

This negligence by the Government (and by default, the financial sector) must now stop. It is critical that the issue of distressed mortgages be given top priority by this Government:

It now must be the goal of this Government to devise and drive resolution, to save family units, to save family homes and to save the lives of family member.

Step one in this process has to be; A Complete Cessation of Eviction in Ireland.

The automatic benefits of this cessation will be:

To reduce stress levels within family homes struggling with distressed mortgages. A change in the playing field to focus both the Government and Financial Institutions on devising equitable and workable resolution to this issue thus eventually eliminating the issue long term. A return to the ethical basis on which the Irish Constitution is founded; for the good of Irish Citizens.

In this letter we, the distressed mortgage holders of Ireland, deliver to you a clear mandate to present the Government with a motion to introduce a complete ban on eviction from the family home in Ireland with immediate effect.

Please be advised that we do not wish to receive any automated replies, replies from your secretaries or any replies advising that you will look into this matter. This mandate requires your personal and IMMEDIATE ACTION.

There is no justification for any family to be put under severe duress or threat of eviction because of the economic downturn.

As our elected representative in this democratic country of Ireland, you are duty-bound to deliver on this mandate on behalf of the citizens of Ireland by immediately bringing forward a motion in the Dáil for a complete cessation of eviction in Ireland to protect the family home.